Transmission gear for engines



July 14, 1942. E, R PAX AN 2,289,991

TRANSMISSION GEAR FOR ENGINES Filed Dec. 6, 1939 2 sheds-sheet 1 INVENTOR i I EDWARD PHILIP PAXMAN r By v R 1 I ATTORNEYS y 4; 1942. E; p. FAXMAN 2,289,991

TRANSMISSION GEAR FOR ENGINES Filed Dec. 6, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet ,1

. Q B0 25 56K 37 4 276 INVENTOR EDWARD PHILIP PAXMAN ATTORNEYS Patented 14, 194 2 in UN TED STATES PATENT O 2,289,991 r is of the lightest possible weight and occupy the minimum amount of space and also that the crank system and moving masses of the engine shall be isolated torsionally from the remainmg masses of the gear'casing, propeller shaft and associated parts. 7

The object of the present invention isto provide an improved form of engine control gear which will fulfill the requirements set out above and at the same time provide for'the transmisrnansm'sslon one]; nor: ENGINES Edward Philip Pa'xmam, Colchcster, England a t r Application December. 6, 1939, Serial No. 307,889 a a v i l In Great Britain December 9,1938

ccisim loin-29a) This invention relates to engine control gear 1 and has particular although not exclusive refer- Reference will now be madeto the accompanying drawings which illustrate by way of v examplean engine transmission gear constructed of Fig. 3.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevation showing the clutch in the engaged position and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation of the epicyclic gear and its casing .taken on the line C'D-of gr The construction illustrated shows the application of the invention to the control gear of a marine engine whose crank shaft is indicated at l. The end of this shaft has a flange 2 to which sion of full engine power when running ahead, 1. for thetransmission of low power at reduced revolutions .when running astern, for a neutral position and finally for trailing a propeller freely V ,when the engine is stopped.

. According to the invention an engine. control gear is-provided .Wherein a torsionally resilient I {or flexiblecoupli'ng has one element mounted on an engine crank shaft .and a second element 7 mounted on a propeller or other driven shaft, the

- .said' couplin'g being constructed to house concentrlcally within it the components of a clutch through, which the drive is transmitted when running ahead and/or under fuel power transmission." In this construction the coupling acts in conjunction, with the driven components as a vibration damper isolating the moving engine parts torsionally from ents.

the said drivenvcomponis fixed by means of bolts 3 an annular housing I carrying externally a cylindrical casing 5 within which is fixed the driving component 6 of a spring or flexible couplng of known type as shown for example in British Patent No. 160,593, de-- signed to reduce torsional vibrations. The sec,- ond component 1, of said coupling is'also disposed within the casing 5 but is carried on 'the periphery of an annulus 9 fixed by means of bolts 9 to a flange Iii formed integral wth' a sleeve ll mountedv freely around a main or propeller operating shaft l2 disposed in axial alignment with the engine crank shaft I. The shaft Ills formed 7 at its inner end with a'flange ll terminatlngln an annulus ll engaged by a spigot roller bearing II carried by the end of the crank shaft I, said bearing being provldedto allow free rotation of the shaft l2 relatively to the crank shaft as well t as slight angular displacements, of the shaft l2 According to the preferredform of the in I vention the improved engine control gear comprises in combination a main shaft disposed in alignment with an engine crank shaft, a housing carriedby said crank shaft a flexible or resilient coupling having one set of components mounted on saidhousing' and the complementary components mounted on an element carried by a sleeve rotatable .relatively to said main shaft v and 1 carrying also driving clutch members arrangedpwithi'n said housing. driven clutch mem bers movably mounted between said? driving clutch members on a cylinder carried by said mainf-shaft, an epicyclic gear train surrounding said sleeve for -i' everse driving purposes and means under harfid control for distributing oil under pressure to the inner or outer'face's of the drivenclutch members to force them into or' out 'of operative positions.

relatively to the crank shaft. The outer end 01 the shaft l2 hasa sleeve l6 fixed to it by means of splines l1 and this sleeve is carried in a main ball bearing l8.

Mounted within the housing 4 are the annular components of a clutch device of the fluid pressure operated type, the driving clutch member being operated by the driven member I of the said flexible coupling. In the construction '11- lustrated, the driven clutch members comprise a pair of annular plates l9 and 20 each formed with tapered annular ribs 2| on its. outer surface adapted to engage correspondingly shaped annular grooves 22 formed in driving clutch members 23 and 24, the member 23 being fixed to or formed integral with the annulus 8 and having a cylindrical extension 25 into which the clutch member 24 is fitted. The two driven clutch members I9 and 20 are arranged in known manner, to be forced apart by the'introduction of fluid under pressure, such as oil, between them. For this purpose the plates are formed integral with cylindrical sleeves 26 and 21 respectively, both sleeves being slidabie in directions parallel to the axis of the crank shaft I on a cylinder 22 fixed by bolts 28 to a periph tral pinion 34 on the sleeve. Meshing with the pinions II is a second set of pinions 28 which extend the width of the casing and also engage a sun gear 21 of larger diameter than the pinion 24, said sun gear 31 being fixed to the sleeve I8 which is in. turn fixed to the main shaft I2 (see Figs. 1 and 3). Surrounding the casing 22 is a braking device 42 adapted to hold the said casing against rotation, when required, as hereinafter described. The construction and operation of this braking device may be like that shown and described in British Patent No. 220,021. r

. The mechanisms above described are disposed within an outer casing 4I contiguous to the engine crank case and externally of this outer casing are disposed the means for introducing oil for the normal operation of the clutchmembers. The engine is under hand control from a bridge or other control position and when the control device is in the ahead position oil under presshown) communicating with an annular passage 42 in a portion '42of the casing which supports the main bearing It. The annular passage 42 communicates by means of radial passages 44 passing through the sleeve I and shaft l2, with an annular passage 45 formed around a plug 46 fixed within the hollow portion 28 of the shaft I2, the said passage 45 communicating by means of further ports 41 with a tube 42 extending axially of the shaft I2 and-mounted at its inner end in a second plug 42 which has inclined radial ports 50 by which the tube 42 communicates with. an annular passage II passing around theperiphery of the plug; Communicating with the Dflssage II are inclined radial passages formed in the shaft I2 and its flange l3, which passages said clutch members.

A second oil supply comes through the interior of the crank shaft I, past a non-retum valve 21, through ports 58 and 59 in a plug 60 fixed in the outer endof the said crank shaft to the in- -terior of the plug 49. Some of the oil then passes through ports BI in the plug 48, passages 62 in the shaft I2 and flange I3, branch passages 63 in the cylinder 28 to grooves 84 in the periphery of said cylinder. These grooves communicate through ports 65 in the driven clutch members I9 and with annular spaces 66 between the driving and driven clutch members. Another -sure is supplied from a pump to an inlet (not part of the oil entering the interior of the plug 49 passes through ports 61 therein and flows through the interior passage 38 of the shaft I2, some of the oil entering lubrication ports 68 and the remainder passing through ports 69 in the plug 46 into the space between said plug and an outer closure plug I0. From this space the oil passes through ports II in the shaft I2 and sleeve I8, past a relief valve I2 and from thence to the casing by a passage, not shown. Leakage of oil along the exterior of the sleeve I8 is prevented by a sealing device 13 and leakage of oil from the interior of the plug 49 is prevented by a similar form of sealing device 14.

The sleeve I6 terminates in a flange 15 throughwhich the drive is transmitted to the propeller shaft and the sleeve and flange areprevented from moving relatively along the shaft l2 by the plug 10 which has screw-threaded connection, as shown at 39, with the interior of the shaft I2.

The sleeve I6 carries a toothed pinion I6 meshing with a toothed wheel 11 mountedon the spindle of a pump 18 adapted to withdraw oil from the engine crank case through a pipe 19 and deliver oil through a passage into .an annular space 8| from which it can pass through ports II to theinterior of the shaft I2 and, when only the pump I8 is operating, oil is supplied to those parts already described as being normally fed from the interior of the crank shaft I.

The operation of the gearing described above is as follows:

When the control device is turned to .the "ahead" position oil is admitted through the port 42 and passes by way of the tube 48 and the ports and passages so, 5|, 5:, 53,54 and 55 to the I space 56 between the driven clutch members l9 and 20 which are thereby forced apart into oper- 'ative engagement with the driving clutchmembers 2 3ands-J4. Withthe engine running, the

drive is then transmitted through the said clutch members to the cylinder 28, the flange 30, the main shaft [2, sleeve I 6 and element 15 tovthe propeller.

, When the control device is moved to any but I the "ahead position the supply of oil under pressure to the annular space 56 ceases andthe driven clutch members I9 and 20 are no longer urged into their operative positions. Under these conditions, however, oil passes from the crank shaft I through the ports 58 and 59 and GI, passages 62 and 63, ports 84 and 65 to the annular spaces 56 where this oil under pressure acting on the outer faces of the driven clutch members forces them together to maintain the clutch mechanism inoperative. With the engine running a reverse drive is then obtained from the crank shaft I through the flexible coupling device 6 and I, the clutch members 23 and the flange III to sleeve II which can rotate'freely around the shaft I2. The drive is transmitted from the sleeve I I through the gears in the casing 22, thebraking device 40 being rendered operative to hold the said casing stationary. Thiscauses the pinions 33 and 36 to transmit a reverse drive through sun gear 31 and sleeve I6 to the main shaft I2.

For the neutral position with the engine running, the clutch members I9 and 20 are again held inoperative by pressure applied to their outer faces in the annular spaces 66 and the drive takes place as before to the pinion 34 of the gear box but as the hand brake 40 is not applied the gears rotate idly around the pinion 31 and no rotation is transmitted to the shaft I2 and the propeller.

propeller can trail freely and causes through the sleeve I operation of the pump 18 which will then withdraw oil from the crank case and supply it to the interior of the shaft l2, the nonreturn valve 51 preventing the passage of this oil into the interior of the crank shaft. The oil will, therefore, find its way through the ports 61 and Si, passages 82 and 63, ports 64 and 65 to the spaces 56 to hold the clutch members inoperative.

, Under all conditions oil is acting onthe external surfaces of the driven clutch members,

such oil being derived from the interior of the crank shaft or from the trailing pump 18. When tions can be made in the arrangement above described without departing from the invention. For example, any suitable form of clutch mechanism can replace the members I9, 20, 23, and 24 and any, known form of reversing gearing can replace the epicyclic gears shown.

I claim:

1. An engine control mechanism having a driving shaft and a driven shaft having an inner end adjacent to and aligned with an end of said driving shaft, the mechanism comprising a torsionally flexible coupling straddling the adjacent ends of said shafts and having one element mounted on said driving shaft and a second element mounted on said driven shaft contiguous to the inner end thereof, a clutch device mounted concentrically within said flexible coupling and straddling the adjacent ends of said shafts and comprising driving clutch members fixed to the second coupling eiement and driven clutch members movablymounted upon and rotatable with said driven shaft, said driven shaft being driven through the clutch mechanism when running under full power transmission, and means mounted on said driven shaft contiguous to the point of mounting thereon of said second coupling element to transmit a reverse running drive from the second coupling element through at least one of said driving clutch members to the driven shaft.

2. An engine control mechanism according to claim -1 having means including fluid passages leading to theinner end of the driven shaft to admit pressure fluid to force the driven clutch members into engagement with the driving clutch members in the "ahead position and to force the, driven clutch members to inoperative positions in the "reverse and neutral positions.

3. An engine control mechanism according to claim 1 having a cylindrical element on the driven shaft overhanging the adjacent ends of said shafts and mounting the driven clutch members thereon, a sleeve rotatable relatively to the driven shaft and extending at one end into the portion of said cylinder which overhangs the inner end of the driven shaft for mounting one of the driving clutch members, and a gear train mounted on the other end of said sleeveto transmit rotation from said sleeve to said driven shaft.

4. An engine control mechanism according to claim 1 having a sleeve rotafably mounted on the driven shaft and extending at one end into the coupling, and an epicyclic gear train disposed concentrically with said driven shaft and surrounding the other end of said sleeve, and a sleeve fixed on the driven shaft and mounting the driven element of said gear train.

5. An engine control mechanism according to claim 1 including a gear box forming part of said means, and a brake band cooperative with the periphery of said gear box for holding thelatter stationary when a reverse drive is required.

. 6. An engine control mechanism comprising in combination an engine crank shaft, a driven shaft iiisposed in alignment with said engine crank shaft and having an inner end adjacent to an end of said crank shaft, a housing carried by said crank shaft, a flexible coupling having one set of components mounted on said housing and complementary components, an annular .flange fixed to the inner end of the driven shaft and having a bearing engaging the adjacent end of the crank shaft, a sleeve rotatable relatively to said driven: shaft and extending into said coupling, an element carried by the portion of said sleeve which extends into the coupling and supporting said complementary components, driving-clutch members carried by said sleeve and arranged within said housing, a cylinder within the coupling and mounted on said flange on the driven shaft, driven clutch members mov- EDWARD PHILIP PAXMAN. 

